Masterpiece Theatre | Prime Suspect 1-5 | Prime Suspect 1 Prime Suspect 1 May 2 + 9, 2004 on PBS (Check local listings; dates may vary) D.C.I. Jane Tennison is a skilled, top-class detective, battling to prove herself in a male world. While investigating a murder, her strength of character and skills as a detective are put to the test as she exposes a cover-up within the force. And when a second murder victim is discovered, the inquiry turns into a grisly investigation stretching back over ten years. Cast & credits | What the press said... | Awards Background Prime Suspect 1 first aired on PBS in January and February of 1992. The program appeared on the series Mystery! and was introduced by then Mystery! host Diana Rigg. With the arrival of Prime Suspect -- a thriller in which a female Detective Inspector investigates the murder of a young girl -- Jane Tennison became a favorite with viewers on both sides of the Atlantic. Tennison risks all in her relentless pursuit of duty and battles to prove herself. The inimitable Helen Mirren won raves for her performance.

The original idea for Prime Suspect, and the Tennison character, sprang from the imagination of writer Lynda La Plante. Born in Liverpool in 1946, at sixteen La Plante won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where she trained to be an actress. She began a successful stage and television career, working in repertory and joining the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. But in the early '80s, with the success of her miniseries Widows, La Plante gave up acting to devote herself to writing full-time. "I realize that I have been a very lucky writer, luck that gets a script on the right desk at the right time -- the rest is hard work. However, much of that hard work is assisted, encouraged and honed down by script editors, producers, directors, editors and actors, and for me a television series or film is very much a group product; we all need each other to make it work, and when it does there is no better incentive for a writer to start work on the next project." La Plante created Prime Suspect after watching reality-TV crime shows.

After calling Scotland Yard and learning that there were only a handful of female DCIs, she interviewed one of them (Jackie Moulton), who impressed her so much that La Plante decided to base the plot on her. Helen Mirren commented on her first outing in the role of Jane Tennison: "I'd describe her as extremely directed, ambitious, talented and very uncompromising. Therefore she is deeply frustrated by her job; the way her sex is a barrier. But she knows how to work the system. This is the first time I've played a policewoman, but I wouldn't say it's the first time I've played a character like her; in fact the character that I have played that is closest to her is Lady MacBeth! Of course she wasn't on the right side of law and order, but their single-mindedness and their ambition are very strong. I found it fascinating to play a policewoman -- it is quite easy for people to view the police as the enemy, alien in their uniforms. Tennison is plain-clothes, but she has the mantle of authority and power." back to top Prime Suspect 1 story synopsis - Plot Revealed Below!

In the early hours of a winter morning DCI John Shefford is called to a bedsit in Holborn where the brutally murdered body of a young woman has been discovered by the landlady. While DC Jones interviews her, DS Bill Otley hands Shefford a small black diary, which he promptly pockets. The pathologist finishes his initial examination, and the body, identified by Shefford as that of Delia Mornay, prostitute, is removed in a body bag. Jane Tennison, attached to the same station as Shefford and of equal rank, is certain that she has, once again, been the victim of sexual discrimination. Although available at the first notification of the Della Mornay incident, her supervisors preferred to fish Shefford out of a drinking club rather than call upon her to head a murder enquiry. The following day the body of Della Mornay is examined, and semen and blood samples show the man they are looking for has a rare blood group -- and there is a suspect in that category on the police computer, George Marlow, recently released from prison after serving a sentence for attempted rape.

While Shefford and his team set out to charge Marlow in record-breaking time, Tennison applies herself to routine police work and the demands of her home life with Peter Rawlins, her recently divorced live-in lover. The situation changes dramatically when Shefford's regular diet of junk food, cigarettes and alcohol results in a massive heart attack, and Tennison, sensing that this is her moment, pressures her superiors and succeeds in taking over the enquiry. Shefford is a hard act to follow, and his team is angry and incredulous that Tennison has been appointed his successor. Despite this she immerses herself in the details of the investigation, uncovering errors and conflicting facts about the case which convince her that though George Marlow is an obvious and convenient suspect, there is no real evidence against him. Then a second body is discovered, and what started as a single murder inquiry develops into an investigation stretching back over ten years...... back to top Commentary - Plot Revealed Below! The commentary below was presented by Diana Rigg, host of Mystery!, when Prime Suspect 1 first aired (in three parts) on that series in 1992.

Episode 1 - Introduction A policeman's lot may not be a happy one -- but a policewoman's is even worse, as we'll see tonight in Prime Suspect, a thriller written especially for television. At the center of the story is Jane Tennison, a policewoman who has fought her way up through the male ranks of Scotland Yard to become a Detective Chief Inspector. In spite of her experience, her superiors have never allowed her to head a homicide investigation. DCI Tennison is one of a very select company. At the time Prime Suspect was written, there were only four female DCIs in Great Britain. And they've had to make some sacrifices for their success -- as Tennison will when she finally gets a crack at that elusive prize -- her own murder case. As a woman on a mostly male police force, she must endure the open hostility of the men under her command who are none too happy about taking orders from a woman. It's no easier on the home front. Wrestling with these pressures takes an emotional toll on her, unwilling as she is to admit it. Because deep in her heart, Jane Tennison knows there's one law a policewoman must obey above all others: Never let them see you cry.

Episode 2 - Introduction In the last episode of Prime Suspect, Jane Tennison was denied the chance to lead a murder investigation -- not the first time she'd been passed over by the men who run Scotland Yard. But when the detective in charge of the case dropped dead of a heart attack, Tennison finally got the break she'd been waiting for. Now she's really got her hands full. Not only does she have a brutal sex crime to solve, but she's working with a police force of men who don't think she's up to the job. Led by the odious Sergeant Otley, they try to sabotage her at every turn. But Tennison just grits her teeth and starts digging into the case -- the rape and murder of a prostitute. Sergeant Otley recognized the victim as Della Mornay and tracked down a suspect -- George Marlow, who swears he left Della very much alive. Since the evidence against him is circumstantial, Tennison must now find more proof. But the whole case turns upside-down when she discovers the victim is not Della Mornay, after all. Even worse, Sergeant Otley knew it and deliberately concealed her true identity -- as well as some important evidence.

The murder victim turns out to be Karen Howard, a young woman of good family. How did she end up in a prostitute's flat? And where is the real Della Mornay? Puzzling questions -- and Tennison doesn't have the answers. She's forced to release Marlow -- only to learn that Della has just been found -- murdered -- probably by the same man who killed Karen. Now, an eyewitness has come forward to identify the killer in a police lineup. Tennison watches nervously as the witness paces back and forth -- and stops right in front of George Marlow. Episode 3 - Introduction Chief Inspector Jane Tennison thought she'd finally found the witness needed to build an airtight murder case against George Marlow. But the witness passed over Marlow in a police lineup. Now, Tennison is more determined than ever to catch the killer, and she resolves to follow up every possible lead -- even Marlow's missing car, which he claims was stolen. But she thinks he's locked it away in a garage somewhere. When her men can't find it, she begins to doubt her suspicions. Marlow traveled frequently on business -- always in the company of his girlfriend, Moyra.

The inspector and her men start reviewing all unsolved murder cases in the areas the couple visited. In the process, they turn up four similar deaths from the past decade. What if this is the work of a serial killer and she's wasting precious time on Marlow? Subjected to police searches and surveillance, Marlow is furious about his persecution -- and so is Tennison's boss. She's ordered to back off until she produces solid evidence tying him to the murders of Della Mornay and Karen Howard. By now, her obsession with the case has begun to take its toll -- both at home and on the job. First, her live-in boyfriend moves out. Then, when she accuses a colleague of concealing important evidence, her boss blows his top -- and threatens to pull her off the case. Episode 3 - Conclusion While it's still rare for a woman to rise to the rank of detective chief inspector, as Jane Tennison did, women have served on the British police force for nearly 80 years. During World War I, when most able-bodied men were fighting at the front, the Home Office recognized -- reluctantly -- the need for a women's police force to keep the peace at home.

Oddly enough, many of these early policewomen were ex-jailbirds. As suffragettes, they'd been arrested for acts of protest -- such as chucking bricks through the windows of the same Home Office that would later appoint them guardians of the law. For many years, their duties were restricted to patrolling public parks or rounding up delinquent children. But a handful of women slowly worked their way into the Criminal Investigation Department. The press ridiculed the idea of female detectives, but these early policewomen quickly proved themselves. They cleared a path for future generations, who would rise higher and higher in the ranks of the force. But it's been a long, hard climb, and it's still far from over -- as Jane Tennison would tell you... A belter of a suspense thriller that will keep you enthralled to the bitter, terrible end... -- Time Out A brilliant new series ... not to be missed under any circumstances... -- Daily Star If we could count on a thriller half as exciting as this a couple of times a month somewhere on the airwaves, I'd never again call British television dull... Tom Bell (is) brilliantly repulsive...

-- Daily Mirror Strong story and very good performances from Mirren and from Tom Bell as her witheringly sexist, devious sergeant. -- Daily Telegraph A tense, intriguing whodunit... -- Hello A story that moves at a cracking pace, sweeping a cast of beautifully observed characters along with it... -- Sunday Times Helen Mirren gives a star performance with just the right amount of nervy intensity... -- Sunday Telegraph Mirren is, as usual quite brilliant, portraying a combination of guts, jitters and ruthless ambition which is utterly convincing... -- The Observer Drama doesn't come any more gripping than Prime Suspect... I guarantee you'll quickly become hooked. Don't miss it... -- Sunday Post (Glasgow) Prime Suspect pulls no punches. It rams them down your throat.... powerful stuff, superbly crafted and strong on gritty realism... -- The Sun There are not many occasions nowadays when TV can persuade you to cancel everything to make sure you are home in time to see a particular program. This was a hard, gritty, realistic murder story... I hope you didn't miss it... -- Daily Mail One of those of those rare shows that hook the nation: a TV event.

Thousands must have postponed Monday night plans to follow this brutal murder case which swept you along with its driving pace. The cast was superb... -- The Sun The nation has been united, divided, mesmerized, offended and generally caught up on Prime Suspect... People were telephoning each other across the country to compare notes... -- The Daily Telegraph Did you catch the brilliant Prime Suspect? Tremendous writing and acting from Lynda La Plante, Helen Mirren and all involved... -- The Sun I can't remember when I last came across such enthusiasm for a show as there was for Prime Suspect... I lost count of the number of people who raved about it... -- Daily Express High-class, gripping drama... compelling viewing... -- Stroud News and Journal Helen Mirren and her team: Absolute magic in the high-caliber Prime Suspect... -- Daily Mail Tremendous stuff... The best thing was La Plante's fast, fearless plot... Every scene, every passing clip of conversation rang true... -- Daily Mirror Helen Mirren... gave a transfixing performance... -- The Times Television drama at it's powerful, elegant best with lines perfectly crafted by a woman who has an unerring ear for the truth...

-- Daily Mail 240 minutes of edge-of-seat entertainment... Everyone you meet asks, "Did you see Prime Suspect?" -- Bristol Evening Post What a resounding triumph... with every aspect of the production -- script, acting, directing -- fine-tuned to excellence. -- Manchester Evening News I nominate Helen Mirren 'Television Actress of the Year' for her role in Prime Suspect.' -- Newcastle Journal You may have required a strong stomach to watch it, but Prime Suspect could be one of THE dramatic events of this television year. Superbly written, directed and acted... a first-class effort from start to finish... -- Halifax Evening Courier Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison - Police Detective Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison Jane Tennison is a character in the British police procedural television drama that was created by Lynda La Plante and broadcasted in 1990âs and 2000âs. Jane is a British Detective Chief Inspector in Metrolpolitan Police Division starring Helen Mirren in the role which was appreciated a lot by the viewers. The show clearly depicts that how a female manages to remain in the profession when it is highly dominated by males. The show also received Edgar Award in Best TV show category.

The whole series focuses the role of a woman in Police Division and later she gets promoted as Detective Superintendent. Prime Suspect There are seven series of Prime Suspect and all the series are 100 and 200 min long. All the series shows the courage of detective Jane Tennison and how she investigates all the mysteries. She has four members in her team who help her in all the investigations. Prime Suspect is based on Police Procedural format and is created by Lynda La Plante. Lynda is a great writer and has a great record for writing several novels about investigations. There are seven series which are included with nine episodes. All the episodes are exceptionally interesting and retain the interest of the customer from starting to the end. Series The whole series was produced under the banner of Granada Television ITV productions. ITV productions have a reputed name in the world of fictional stories and characters. They have been released around 15 fictional characters and all the characters are published in the novels too. The whole series of Prime Suspect was run from 7th April 1991 to 22 October 2006.

However, there are several breaks in the broadcasting of this serial but in the end they succeed in completing the series. This is the first series of this type in which a woman holds a very responsive position in Detective Agency. The first part of Prime Suspect features sexism at workplace and the other parts are also based on this theme. The second part features the institutional racism and the third one features pedophilia, prostitution and child abuse. As there is a lady at the top position in large detective agency, Jane had to fight with her work life and relationships. She needs to maintain a perfect balance between her job and her private life. With the progression of series, she became alcoholic due to increased stress and tension but she soon get successful in tackling the alcohol addiction. The series of Prime Suspect are in multiple episodes and every part is included with 31/2 hours and was divided into three or four parts. Three Cases Prime Suspect 4 was exceptionally long and was divided into three cases in which every case was 41/2 hours long. Prime Suspect was aired in 1991 and was divided into two parts.

Prime Suspect 2 was aired in 15th December 1992 and was 203 min long. Prime Suspect 3 was aired in 19th December and its length is 207 min. Prime Suspect 4 has three parts with different titles including Lost Child, Inner Circles and Scent of Darkness. So, this character or series is the successful interms of providing complete entertainment to the audience. First Jane Tennison DCI: Revisiting ‘Prime Suspect’s Complex Lead | Bitch Flicks First Jane Tennison DCI: Revisiting ‘Prime Suspect’s Complex Lead Posted By Elizabeth Kiy Published January 17, 2014 In the final episode of Prime Suspect , the long-running British series, Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren), a hardworking, hard drinking detective who has sacrificed so much of her life for her job and made more than a few enemies, skips her own retirement party, and walks out and into the rest of her life. In the other room, her colleagues are jovial, waiting for the stripper they hired, preparing balloons, and liberally dipping into the refreshments. But Jane is uncertain.

[caption id="attachment_7594" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Jane in the final episode, the weight of everything she’s seen finally catching up with her.[/caption] She’s triumphant as she’s solved her last case, but it’s taken a clear toll on her. She’s tired, she’s unsure what else she can be other than a cop, is struggling with her alcoholism and the reality of how few people she has in her life to lean on, and yet, she’s free of the relentless politics and bureaucracy she’s faced throughout her career and has finished it she way she intended. For all she’s sacrificed, she’s lived the life she wanted and refused to compromise either personally or professionally. And after seven series of watching and cheering her on, we’re sure she’ll be okay. If she’d gone to the party, there’d be cause to worry about her. Prime Suspect ran for seven series airing between 1991 and 2006, earning Emmys, Golden Globes, and BAFTAs as well as serving as an inspiration of several character-driven and female-led police dramas.

The series was created by mystery writer Lynda La Plante after discovering there were only four female Detective Chief Inspectors (DCIs) in Scotland Yard at the time and Tennison was based on Jackie Malton, a celebrated officer with success in homicide, fraud, and robbery divisions. [caption id="attachment_7595" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Prime Suspect title card[/caption] The first series followed Jane’s journey to gain the respect of her male colleagues as she leads her first investigation, fighting to be taken seriously at every turn. The idea of the police force as a boys’ club colors much of the first series and continues to a gradually lessening degree throughout the rest of show’s run as Jane earns respect (and contempt) for her own merit. Subsequent series feature groundbreaking investigations for a show of the time period, probing into institutional racism, pedophilia, agism, genocide, police brutality and misconduct and well as a rather shakily handled portrayal of gay prostitution, a mistreated Transwoman character, and a sensitive depiction of abortion.

Prime Suspect relentlessly delves into dark territory; the cases are horrific and the victims ghettoized by police bureaucracy, and without Jane at its centre, never losing focus of the goal of obtaining justice for the victims and securing convictions and Mirren’s fierce portrayal of her, it could easily become depressing and marred by its focus on interviews and interrogations over of gun fights and chases. Jane is the rare female character who is allowed to be flawed, yet continues to be likable both in the perspective of the narrative and in the viewer’s eyes. Even if you dislike her as a person, it’s impossible not to respect her and to be a bit awed by what she does. And she is not always easy to like. [caption id="attachment_7596" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The show doesn’t shy away from graphic forensic evidence[/caption] From the start, Jane is abrasive and difficult, as in the first episode, she begins angling for a promotion right after her colleague dies.

Frequently, she is too harsh on suspects after deciding their guilt and asked variations of, “What kind of person are you?” She also feigns empathy to get information, a tactic that works even accidentally as it becomes her default mode (notably in series 4). Most interestingly, Jane is often wrong and insensitive: she commits the cardinal sin of a woman in power by not supporting other women, goes after the wrong man and causes a hostage situation, appears racist for not wanting to work with a her former lover, a Black detective, as well as several other incidences. In series 4, Jane’s breakthrough case is reopened and with her entire career called into question, she goes off investigate on her own. This involves visiting her suspect’s elderly mother, pretending to be a family friend and bringing her out to an isolated pier when Jane harshly interrogates her, in a manner bordering on abusive as the old woman grows increasingly frightened. In the end, she proves her suspect’s guilt but in a manner that sets her in the worst possible light for the audience.

[caption id="attachment_7597" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Before she is given an investigation to lead, Jane is invisible to her male coworkers, who talk about cases around her[/caption] As a leader, her refusal to compromise means she is determined to catch the guilty party, while her co-workers urge her just to get someone to confess, guilty or not. She’s tough, telling her squad in her first briefing, “All I ask is your undivided loyalty and attention. … You don’t like it, put in for a transfer.” She is also very clever, shown in series 2, when she eliminates a possible identity for a murder victim by putting her own watch with the victim’s effects and allowing her mother to falsely claim it. [caption id="attachment_7598" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Mirren’s acting skills are highlighted in tense interrogation scenes[/caption] But for all her prickly meanness and seeming detachment, Jane really cares about getting justice for victims and becomes deeply emotionally involved.

After long periods of procedural drama, the show imbues a great deal of cathartic release in the moments when she celebrates a victory by pumping her fists and cheering and in the private moments where Jane, overwhelmed and exhausted, breaks down and cries. It’s her frustrations dealing with bureaucracy or snags in her investigations that frequently lead her to do things like snap at her subordinates, splash wine on her supervisors, and find solace in smoking, drinking, and sex. Prime Suspect is also noted for its straightforward depiction of workplace sexism. Rather than catcalls, pranks, or groping, sexism manifests itself in subtle gestures meant to undermine her authority, such as suggestions that she is irrational or hormonal and her male coworkers being promoted over her. [caption id="attachment_7599" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Jane’s biggest detractor is Detective Sergeant Bill Otley, while DI Frank Burkin and DS Richard Hawley become two of her supporters[/caption] Moreover, as the first series goes on, Jane slowly gains the respect and support of her colleagues, they take orders willingly and the entire squad sign their names on a petition to keep her on the case when their superiors threaten to remove her.

Throughout the program, Jane’s constant refrain (made humourous thanks to Mirren’s role in The Queen ) is: “Don’t call me Ma’am I’m not the bloody queen.” She tells people she wants to be called “boss or guv,” but never ma’am. At the end of the first series she knows she has gained their respect once the squad calls her guv. Jane is an interesting character to examine in a feminist critique as it doesn’t seem that she would consider herself a feminist. Even as Jane advances through the force, within the show’s narrative, the pinnacle of her success is not when she reaches the highest rank but when she gets to a point where her colleagues complain about her and her supervisors sabotage her not because she’s a woman but because of her personality and her leadership. In the last episode, as she prepares to retire, she is celebrated as the first female DCI, to which she responds, a detective first, woman second: “First Jane Tennison DCI.” Still, there are several incidences when Jane uses her gender to her advantage.

Notably, in the first series, she hides in the women’s locker room when she knows her supervisor is looking for her to pull her off the case, knowing it’s the only place he can’t go. Later, when interrogating her suspect’s girlfriend, she fusses over her appearance to uncharacteristic degree as she knows the girlfriend will be less contrary if she believes Jane is concerned with her appearance. In another series, she gets information unavailable to a male officer when she has a drink with two prostitutes and talks to them about their friend’s murder, establishing a friendly bond when a man propositions her that makes them comfortable with her. Hyperaware of how she is perceived, Jane knows that if she shows any weakness, she will lose all the respect she’s gained. In series 4, she has difficulty dealing with DS Christine Cromwell (Sophie Stanton), a woman who does things a lot like she did in earlier series: going off on her own to investigate, losing her temper in front of the press, and sharing a close relationship with a male colleague.

These things make Jane fearful both of associating herself with a woman who could be perceived to be sleeping her way to the top, and of the perception that she could be giving Cromwell special treatment or unearned sorority. As a result, Jane in harsher to female subordinated than males and sets them to a higher standard as she believes they need to be tougher to make it in the department. [caption id="attachment_7600" align="aligncenter" width="300"] After Cromwell proves herself, Jane takes her under her wing and acts as her mentor[/caption] Eventually Cromwell proves herself clever and determined, leading Jane to develop a productive partnership with her, as the two investigated in a pair for much of the rest of the investigation. Another recurring theme in the series is Jane’s struggle maintaining stable relationships. Her relationship in the first series is introduced as loving and supportive, with Jane excited to meet his son, but quickly crumbles with the stress of her new job. Jane, as anyone who knew her would expect, puts the investigation first, complains when he laughs about what the tabloids are saying about her, and is unable to make dinner for his business partners.

The boyfriend yells at her that she cares more about “your rapists and your tarts” than him, and leaves her without discussion after a fight. In the next series, she has moved on and taken the break-up in stride, but in the rest of the program Jane seems lonely when she is given silent moments, begins to a routine of eating frozen dinners and drinking alone and puts up with less before ending her relationships. In series 4, she has new boyfriend, who makes question her priorities: “This is the first time in my life I’ve had the feeling that I don’t want to get up, go to work, don’t want to screw up another relationship.” Still though, he refuses to support her when things get difficult and is gone by the next series. Without fail, Jane refuses to stay in a relationship with any man who can’t acknowledge the importance for her career. [caption id="attachment_7601" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The pressure begins to get to Jane as she talks a moment to collect herself.[/caption] At the end of series 3, Jane finds herself pregnant and despite realizing this is her last chance to have a child, decides to have an abortion.

It’s a difficult decision for her and not one she takes lightly, but it’s presented as the right thing for her to do based on where she is in her life and what she wants for her future. True to the character, Jane’s decision-making process is not fraught with meaningful glances at mothers with babies or discussion with her friends or family; instead, she when she calls the doctor to arrange it, she is calm and businesslike. Only after it’s arranged does she take a minute to mourn, turning away from the camera and the audience to cry, showing only her shoulder moving up and down for an extended shot. Jane Tennison is a fascinating character whose DNA is found in several of its predecessors. Notably, the failed American remake , a serviceable cop show with Maria Bello as its strong lead and The Closer , whose creators have acknowledged the debt they owe to Prime Suspect.

Gillian Anderson has also compared her role in The Fall to Jane Tennison But there is only one Jane, the kind of woman who leads with a quiet integrity who manages to be both poised and ruthless, who tries to wear different lives that don’t fit her and has the courage to cast them off, always knows what she wants and what she values: giving justice to her victims, and solving crimes instead of succeeding in departmental politics and earning promotions. It’s a series that deserves revisiting. Prime Suspect prequel sees return of Jane Tennison on ITV | Media | The Guardian ITV channel Prime Suspect prequel sees return of Jane Tennison on ITV Tennison features detective, made famous by Helen Mirren, as a 22-year-old, with ITV also announcing new eight-part drama by creator of The Bridge Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect, a six-part prequel of the ITV series sees her character Jane Tennison investigating her first murder case as a 22-year-old.

Photograph: PR Thursday 18 June 2015 06.12 EDT Last modified on Thursday 11 August 2016 06.23 EDT Close This article is 1 year old Jane Tennison, the detective made famous by Helen Mirren, will return to ITV as a 22-year-old investigating her first murder case in a Prime Suspect prequel written by Lynda La Plante. The six-part series, called Tennison, will be set in 1970s Hackney and portrays a young Tennison starting out on her police career, experiencing London’s violent criminal ganglands first hand. ITV said the drama would “reveal why she became such a complex and formidable character in the Metropolitan police”, set in a world where “high-ranking police officers were notoriously chauvinistic, and the rules and regulations often bent”. ITV director of drama Steve November said: “I’m delighted Lynda has revisited the iconic character of Jane Tennison.

The scripts are brilliantly written and she perfectly captures the sights, sounds and mood of the 70s period.” The broadcaster announced details of the new drama on Thursday after La Plante revealed she was writing a prequel to Prime Suspect last year. There are no details about who will play the young Tennison. It will be broadcast in 2016 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Prime Suspect, which first broadcast on ITV in 1991 and ran until 2006. It has also been adapted for US television. Mirren, who brought DCI Tennison and later Det Supt Tennison to life across seven series, was already famous when the first Prime Suspect was broadcast, but the role made her a household name. ITV has already enjoyed success with a detective prequel with Inspector Morse spin-off, Endeavour , starring Shaun Evans and Roger Allam. The prequel has been devised by La Plante who has written a book, also called Tennison, which will be published in September.

Lynda La Plante writing Prime Suspect prequel Read more La Plante said: “I have very much enjoyed writing the young Jane, creating her family background and the start of her career in the police force. I do hope my readers will enjoy meeting her in September and viewers in 2016.” Separately, ITV has also commissioned an eight-part drama from Han Rosenfeldt, the Swedish creator of hit Scandinavian serial killer drama, The Bridge. Rosenfeldt has created Marcella, his first drama specifically for UK television, with Nicola Larder, who was Sky’s development executive on its adaptation of The Bridge, The Tunnel. Marcella is described as a “Scandinavian noir on the streets of Britain” set in contemporary London about a single female detective, divorced and isolated from her daughter, on a serial murder case. ITV has also commissioned a six-part drama series, The Durrells, by Men Behaving Badly creator Simon Nye, based on Gerald Durrell’s classic trilogy of Corfu memoirs including the much loved My Family and Other Animals. Who are the greatest fictional detectives? | Radio Times Who are the greatest fictional detectives?

From Poirot and Maigret to Montalbano and Wallander: Mark Lawson picks his seventeen supersleuths... Comments Mark Lawson 12:50 PM, 22 October 2012 An enjoyable pastime for sports fans in every country is second-guessing (and mocking in hindsight) the selectors of national teams. But during the past few months I’ve developed sympathy for those who choose a squad of talent from a much larger pool. How do you pick the most innovative, influential fictional detectives ever created? The task most resembled captaining Europe in the Ryder Cup, in that the selection had to come from European crime fiction and represent different generations while avoiding duplication of skills. I had to omit major British talents (Reginald Hill’s Andy Dalziel and Peter James’s Roy Grace) to give weight to Spain, Italy and other claimants. The team was also restricted to detectives, public and private, which ruled out unofficial investigators such as Miss Marple. Sherlock Holmes was also omitted as the main focus of Radio 4’s series is post-Second World War. So here’s my team of great European sleuths.

Whatever arguments arise, these players would give a close fight to an American team (Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Jessica Fletcher etc) in any Ryder Cup of detective fiction. 1 & 2. Poirot & Maigret Belgium may be an often neglected nation but it's the motherland of detective fiction. Two key early figures - Hercule Poirot, who appeared in print from 1920 to 1975, and Jules Maigret (1930-72) - were, respectively, a Belgian created by an Englishwoman (Agatha Christie) and a Frenchman created by a Belgian (Georges Simenon). Following Holmes in being cerebral and pedantic, Poirot and Maigret epitomised the investigator as an outsider who sees through all levels of society. 3. Hans Bärlach Switzerland's Bärlach (1950-52), created by Swiss-German writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt, made the later crop of unhappy, unwell middle-aged male cops seem almost jaunty by comparison. He appears in only two books and has been diagnosed with terminal cancer in the first.

Bärlach and Dürrenmatt explore themes of Second World War guilt, of which German writers were wary at the time. 4. Lieutenant Boruvka Lt Boruvka (1966-80) of the Prague Homicide Department is notorious for his "mournful demeanour". He's sad because he's a policeman in a police state (Czechoslovakia), whose Soviet-controlled bosses don't really want the cases solved. Writing first under censorship in Prague then in exile from Canada, Josef Skvorecky gives a brilliant portrait of Communist-occupied Eastern Europe. 5. Van der Valk Created by English expat Nicolas Freeling, Commissaris Piet van der Valk (1962-89) topped ITV ratings in the 1970s (with the series starring Barry Foster) and was number one in the UK pop charts (with the theme tune Eye Level). The stories explored the drugs trade and Second World War collaboration in Holland. 6. Martin Beck Sweden's Martin Beck (1965-75) was created by journalist couple Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo.

Beck set the template for many subsequent, invented cops by being depressed, divorced, at odds with his bureaucratic superiors and taking on cases that expose social shifts, such as immigration, the sex trade and the gap between rich and poor. (Steven Mackintosh stars in The Martin Beck Killings, a five-part series, starting next Saturday, 27 October, on Radio 4) 7 & 8. Adam Dalgliesh & Reg Wexford Two brilliant Englishmen created by two brilliant female members of the House of Lords: Adam Dalgliesh (1962-2008) from the pen of PD James and Reg Wexford (1964-) from Ruth Rendell. They chart social, politicial, sexual and religious shifts in the UK since the 60s, representing the British tradition of the detective as a force for moral good. 9. Inspector Rogas Rogas (1971) was the invention of Leonardo Sciascia, a former Sicilian politician who was the first crime writer to tackle Mafia influence in Italy. Alongside Georges Simenon, he's the author most cited as an influence by other European crime writers. 10.

Pepe Carvalho Employed by his creator Manuel Vázquez Montalbán to depict Spain's transition from Franco's dictatorship to King Juan Carlos's monarchy, Detective Pepe Carvalho (1972-2004) was brought to life in a series of books that vividly dramatise Spanish food and football. 11. Jane Tennison All male tecs so far, but the selectors could only pick from what was historically available. However, Jane Tennison (ITV 1991-2006), created by Lynda La Plante and played by Helen Mirren, revolutionised crime fiction - setting examples of female power and correct police procedure that have been copied ever since. The most influential detective since Sherlock Holmes. 12. Salvo Montalbano A second Sicilian on my list, Montalbano (1994-) appears in a long series by Andrea Camilleri and in TV versions ( Saturdays BBC4 ). Named in homage to Montalbán (no 10), he continues the pursuit of Mafia influence on Italian life begun by Camilleri's literary hero, Sciascia.

Comic and sensual, the books also chart the bunga-bunga years of Silvio Berlusconi. 13. Kemal Kayankaya Jakob Arjouni's private dick, Kemal Kayankaya (1985-), is the child of Turkish immigrants and so is a classic outsider cop, seeing crimes and signs that the German police ignore. 14. John Rebus In writing about Scotland's John Rebus (1987-), Ian Rankin uses the background of a nation re-examining its relationship with the UK to create books that examine terrorism, immigration, nationalism and corruption through a classic example of a cop with a bad liver and conscience but an ultimately honest heart. 15. Kurt Wallander A close relative of Martin Beck in psychological profile and social concern, Henning Mankell's Wallander (1991-2009) began Scandinavia's rise as a crime-fiction superpower and analyses the paradox of why a region seen by foreigners as a paradise has suffered political violence, including the assassination of the Swedish PM. 16.

Harry Hole A similar enigma (how Norwegian idealism was brutalised by Anders Behring Breivik's massacre of 77 citizens) can be tracked through the super-selling books of Jo Nesbo. Harry Hole (1997-) is a classic addictive, depressive but hyperintuitive heir to Sherlock Holmes. 17. Erast Fandorin Russian crime fiction has struggled with censorship and publishing problems under both Soviet and post-Soviet regimes. Perhaps sensibly, Boris Akunin uses the past to illuminate present tensions (gangsters, billionaire oligarchs, dictatorial politicians) through his 19th-century detective, Fandorin (1998-).

Question: Who created the female detective Jane Tennison
Answer: Lynda La Plante